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HHP · 04-03-2009, 09:43 AM

Greetings Happy Campers:

Since my Divorce, I have been taking account of my life, turning 50 this June. Though I still have three to five years left to retire… sooner if the golden handshake is offered. I am taking steps now to get my life in order to full time it in my 23 Safari.

I was listening to Dr. Wane Dyer on the cable the other day, Dr. Dyer, who wrote a book (Your Erroneous Zones) that had an impact on me in my early 20s, I consider a positive force in this world.

At any rate, he discussed a study that we only, mostly, use about 20% of what we own day to day. The other 80% just really sits there. Looking first at what I wear, I had to agree, I have a wall to wall closet, with a small section that is used regularly and the rest are mostly items that I have not worn starting from the late 80s till now.

Shoes? The same. Collections, books (I now own a Kindle, so my attachment to my access to these books are lessened.), and I can go on and on. Vehicles, bikes….

Self examination asks why do I need to hang on to the 80%? As Dr. Dyer points out, we are not our possessions, things that can be taken from us by disaster, thieves or even the government should not determine our value as beings, or our happiness. There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way. My life situation is proving this every day.

The result has been freeing. The duty to insure, protect and care for most of these things can be very stressful. This weekend will see more “things” go to charity. Sounds too simplistic? I now believe less is more.

See you on the road!

overlander63 · 04-03-2009, 09:52 AM

If you are in doubt whether you need something before disposing of it, place the item in a box. Put the date on the box and place the box in a closet. If you come back to the box in a year without using the item, you don't need it.

Whirlaway · 04-03-2009, 11:00 AM

Once I got my AS and really knew I wanted to full time in it, I too looked at my worldly possessions that were so important in another light.

How much can you pack in an AS? I think your 80/20 rule is valid even
for the AS. The first couple of years I brought xyz "just in case" I needed it. Now every year at the end of the season, I pair that stuff that I had to have and did not use out once again. I am sure everyone else does this too. However it's all about mindset getting ready to walk away from everything and hop in your AS for an extended time.

Priceless.

hampstead38 · 04-03-2009, 11:55 AM

We still have unpacked boxes in our basement from a move nearly two years ago. Ugh!

Aage · 04-03-2009, 12:58 PM

I have four large (and heavy) boxes of record albums. I also have four turntables to play them on.

I have not played a vinyl record since we moved from Toronto to Montreal in 1985. We moved back to Toronto in 1991. I wish I got airmile points on them!

I think I need to review something here!

But as for my collection of 170 old tube radios, I need ALL of those!

**moosetags** · 04-03-2009, 01:15 PM

Serious food for thought; we, too, are divesting ourselves of a lifetime of "treasures" that we don't really need. As a matter of fact, we don't even want them anymore. Traveling in Lucy (our AS) has made us come to this epiphany. Our New Year's resolutions for 2009 are to travel more in Lucy, and to get rid of "stuff".

danalee · 04-03-2009, 01:20 PM

I really have been trying to reduce my excesses and today as I was shopping with a friend she told me her moto-one thing in tow things outThat's on way to shop. I do go throught my clothes twice a year and off they go to the mission if I haven't worn them. ! I would bravely like to say its all just tuff but it still hard to part with the rocks my kids painted for me or the baby clothes they have no interest in:>

myboyburt · 04-03-2009, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hampstead38

We still have unpacked boxes in our basement from a move nearly two years ago. Ugh!

Ditto, with the exception being we moved 5 years ago.

ArtStream · 04-03-2009, 03:38 PM

My brother passed away a few years ago at the age of 40. Like many of us, he worked very hard to achieve the American Dream. All the bills he struggled to pay, the seemingly important decisions he turned over in his mind over and over again, worry over his credit rating etc, etc... But when all was said and done, all that was left of his material life was a small shoe box which contained photographs, a ring and watch, a wallet and keys to locks that will get along without them.

In the end, we are only survived by memories of what we give of ourselves to others, and not the things we leave or possess.

Michael

Melody Ranch · 04-03-2009, 06:33 PM

When I retired from the Air Force in 1984, they packed me up and moved me to my "retirement Home place" All that is STILL in crates stored in my barn. The Wife WILL NOT let me get rid of it.... never been looked at again. All that Oriental crap and European Antiques. Maybe its better unpacked......

overlander63 · 04-03-2009, 08:01 PM

Currently, if I didn't have box after box of tools, we would have two closets of "stuff", the remainder of my toy train collection, and our furniture. Furniture consists of 5 small tables, including dining room table, a chair, sofa, love seat, and bed.

Boondocker · 04-03-2009, 08:01 PM

I have been full timing in my Trade Wind for three years. The only "stuff" I miss is all the books. I hate to get rid of a book. Even living in a 24 ft narrow body camper, I have a lot of stuff I don't use all that often.

Reminds me of the story about two men discussing the deceased at a funeral. The first guy asks the second guy "how much did he leave behind?" Second guy replies "all of it".

eubank · 04-03-2009, 08:31 PM

I'm afraid, after all of our "past lives," that the rule will have to be closer to 5%-95% for us. We've been trying to sell off some of our thousand or so academic books (yes, that's thousand) on Amazon. At the rate we're selling them, I figure we'll slim down the load in about a decade -- and still have many boxes of them left over for, well, reading, I guess.

Lynn

Engtech05 · 04-04-2009, 05:26 PM

As it came to pass in December last year I fell victim to the economy. My wife three children under the age of four are all living full time in our AS, it still need TLC, as the furnace needs to be replaced and the fridge needs work. We were in our 12 x 24 storage shed working on the sale items today, we were amazed at the 'stuff' we collected and that needed to rethought of do we really need it. Still we are blessed with children that really don't understand the perdiciment that their parents are in.
I should point out that we have parked the AS at a friends house and we help with electric and food when we can, another blessing. Hopefully the sale items will bring enough to get things fixed or atleast close to it.
All i can say is thank god for friends and family!

StevenG · 04-04-2009, 05:38 PM

Good luck to you Gary, that is so tough. It's great to have friends help as yours are.
Steven

connorsa · 04-05-2009, 05:18 PM

"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose" -- Jim Elliot, missionary martyr who lost his life in the late 1950's trying to reach the Auca Indians of Ecuador

Isadora · 04-05-2009, 11:56 PM

We have had relatives die in the last few years and have had to clean out homes of piles of Stuff. And every time, we are reminded that we don't want to leave all our piles for someone else to clean out, and we go on a mission to clean cupboards, storage sheds and closets of Stuff, a lot of which seems to have just come into our house unbidden(Where DID we get that thing???) and has stayed to live with us. So once again we have a huge pile of stuff to add to the estate sale that soon will become necessary. It is my goal to have only the things that we actually use, or love.

I have found that some things are Necessary ( like that punch bowl that only gets used once every few years, but which I would have to go and buy again or rent if I didn't have it, even tho I don't use them often, so they must stay, but if a thing can't give me a good reason for being, out it goes. There will be someone else who will be glad to have it.

It is a very freeing feeling to be rid of the albatross of possessions that you don't need, but still maintain just because you always have. (I have friends who pay rent on storage buildings for years and have never been back to even look at the stuff--what is that all about?)

But of course there are those art supplies and junk in my studio.......precious stuff, every bit of it.

darlingbooks · 04-06-2009, 09:01 AM

Anne-Marie and I had a mail order bookstore operating from our home and we ran it for 12 years, until March of last 2008. During these years we had all of the walls of the house covered with bookshelves, and a storage unit full of warehoused books. I would buy large lots of books and bring pickup loads of boxes of books home to be sorted in the front room, and all of the mess that comes with it.

One of my sources for books was estate sales, and I eventually partnered with a couple that did estate sales professionally. My position in this arrangement was only clean up at the end of the sale, and not any purchasing favors before or during the sale. So many estates were in order and without unnecessary possessions, but the highlights were the ones that seemed to be the same pile different house, time after time after time.

This exposure to what is left over for the families to deal with is driving us to down size our possessions now, as we are trying to put our life in order, while preparing to full time travel for a few years.

The books are sold and gone except for a box of favorite cookbooks, over 12000, the bookshelves are sold and gone, 33 of them, and we have been trying to clean out the house room by room corner by corner. My advantage is that I have dealt with most items over the years as merchandise and not with emotional attachments. When we are done, we hope to move our personal stuff into a small storage unit in the shop.

Our original launch date for full timing was March 2009, but projects seem to take about three times longer, now that I am retired. The new launch date is September 2009, and I think that this one will hold because #1 Son and his wife are moving into the house.

As each room or corner becomes vacant I feel a bit of relief as it brings us one step closer to being on the road full time.

Five months to launch.

Steve

macninja · 04-06-2009, 04:11 PM

For the first 9 years of my marriage, we moved at least once a year. Initially because I was on active duty in the Marines, after that it became a constant hunt for a better apartment, closer to work, etc. etc.

Every time we moved, we would rid ourselves of things that we hadn't used or no longer needed. It became kind of a ritual and something that I almost looked forward to.

3 years ago we bought a house, and since then have not gone through the shedding ritual that used to happen annually. The upside is that our home address is finally stable for an extended period. The downside is that I can see the "stuff" starting to collect -- a formerly extra room is now a storage room that's 1/4 full, and increasing by the year. We recently had to clean out and rearrange the garage to make room for things, etc.

I kinda miss the days of moving around constantly...

connorsa · 04-07-2009, 06:25 AM

Twice now I have left behind all my possessions and gone to the mission field. Both times we had yard sales and ridded ourselves of all but the 'good stuff' which we stored in one storage unit. Both times I can attest that it did not take any time at all to get back to where we originally were when we got home. I'm convinced we are stuff magnets.